Vol. 3, No. 18 – August 30, 2004 

 

YOUR NOMINATIONS, PLEASE… 

MLA President Mason McIntire has appointed a nominating committee to accept recommendations of members to serve on the MLA Board of Directors. We mailed complete information and a form to use to nominate yourself or another member to serve, and a few have been returned.  

Positions to be filled are: 

            Second Vice President

            Third Vice President

            At-large Director for Missouri and Arkansas

            At-large Director for Kansas and Oklahoma 

All nominees to the open positions must be active retail members in good standing with the Association. 

The MLA Board of Directors meets twice a year in a location selected by the president. Typically, the spring meeting is held in May in Kansas City, and the fall meeting is held in conjunction with the Annual meeting. Interim meetings, as necessary, are usually teleconferences. The Board of Directors is responsible for setting policies for the Association. 

If you’d like to nominate someone immediately, you may do so by calling any member of the Nominating Committee by September 10: 

Jeff Dunn, Chairman, Tulsa, OK; Phone: 918-747-2000; Fax: 918-747-1325 

Ron Caldwell, Wynne, AR; Phone: 870-238-7558; Fax: 870-238-2311 

Dave Hendrix, St. Peters, MO; Phone: 636-441-4200; Fax: 636-970-3716

Kevin Rasure, Goodland, KS; Phone: 785-899-7149; Fax: 785-890-2077 

If you would like to be more involved in the affairs and direction of MLA, consider serving on the Board of Directors. We would welcome your participation! 

MARK YOUR CALENDAR 

Note these important dates and events on your calendar and make plans to attend. Details will be forthcoming: 

September 23-25 – NLBMDA Industry Summit, The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida. A complete brochure is available from MLA – just hit reply to request. Hotel reservation deadline is August 31. 

November 18-19 – MLA Fall Fling, Chateau on the Lake, Branson, Mo. Plans are nearly complete. You’ll learn important concepts at a half-day seminar, enjoy deluxe accommodations and catch up on important industry issues. Watch for the next MLA “News You Can Use” for complete information.  

2005 Education Programs – Dates are set for MLA’s most popular education programs. Mark your calendar and start planning for these sessions. Registration forms will be available this fall. 

Feb. 14-15 – Basic Estimating, Wichita, Kan. 

Feb. 16-17 – Basic Estimating, Kansas City, Mo. 

Feb. 17 – Yard Foreman School, Columbia, Mo. 

Feb. 18 – Advanced Estimating, Kansas City, Mo. 

Feb. 24 – Yard Foreman School, Oklahoma City, Okla. 

March 10-11 – Basic Estimating, Tulsa, Okla. 

If you need this training and none of these dates or locations are convenient, please notify Olivia at MLA to discuss the possibility of scheduling another session. We appreciate your input. 

LEEDS Program Under Scrutiny in Arkansas 

On August 18, the Joint Interim Energy Committee of the Arkansas General Assembly adopted an interim study (ISP 2003-190) and created a taskforce for the purpose of studying the LEEDS design program of the US Green Building Council. The intent of the study and the taskforce’s charge is to develop legislation that can be considered by the 2005 General Assembly beginning in January. 

Currently there is an atmosphere of cooperation among the stakeholders to find and agree on the points of the LEEDS program that can be agreed to and to work on finding solutions to the points of disagreement.   

Representatives of the AIA Arkansas Chapter and the Arkansas Forest and Paper Council sat down at the table for the express purpose of listening to one another’s concerns and to have the opportunity for each to voice just what they hoped could and should be achieved by an inclusive LEEDS program for the state of Arkansas. No one in the meeting on Monday was exceedingly critical of the other’s position. As a matter of fact, the dialogue that was initiated was frank and each stakeholder represented seemed to walk away with an enthusiasm and reasonable expectation that the differences that are real and perceived can and should be able to be resolved to the satisfaction of all stakeholders in Arkansas while not betraying the principles of any interested party. 

After the meeting, three names from the forest products side were submitted to Rep. Sam Ledbetter (D-Little Rock) for consideration for service on the taskforce.  The names of persons submitted to serve on the taskforce are Aubra Anthony, Anthony Forest Products-El Dorado; Lisa Stocker, Potlatch-Warren; and Kelly Robbins, Arkansas Forestry Association - Little Rock.  

The AIA Arkansas Chapter is in the process of setting up a meeting of their Government Affairs Committee to nominate interested architects to serve on the taskforce. It is the hope of the AIA Committee Chairman that the meeting can be scheduled for some time next week. 

If you wish to read the 2003 bill that was withdrawn for purposes of the study you can go the Arkansas General Assembly website http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/isp/2003/pdfs/ISP-2003-190.pdf to read the previous bill that will the starting point for the work of the taskforce.  

Source: Brent Stevenson Associates, August 18, 2004 

LUMBER NEWS – QUICK GLIMPSES

Louisiana-Pacific Under New Management… Louisiana-Pacific has weathered many changes: relocating its headquarters to Nashville from Portland, for one. Add to the list a change in management -- Chairman and CEO Mark Suwyn has announced his retirement, as of October.

Filling Suwyn's shoes will be Executive Vice President Richard W. Frost. 

Source: LBM Daily, August 18, 2004 

Natural Disasters & Housing Starts Drive Lumber Prices Up Further… Hurricane Charley, fires in British Columbia and an unexpected increase in last month's housing starts are combining to drive softwood lumber prices to near record levels. 

While Hurricane Charley's impact is well reported by the media, one of the worst fire seasons in Western Canada's history has not been widely discussed by the timber industry.  

Source: LBM Daily, August 19, 2004 

Asian Beetle Reappears After Two-Year Hiatus… The Asian long-horned beetle is expanding its range in the state of New Jersey. The beetle, an immigrant species from China first found in this country in 1996, had been spotted in the state before but has thus far been confined to one area near Jersey City. That initial attack was successfully eradicated in 2002.  

The beetle attacks mostly hardwoods and authorities in Middlesex County, where the new invasion is located, are especially concerned because of the prevalence of maples in the state. Due to the beetle's life cycle, which begins deep within the center of a tree, the only effective elimination technique is to cut and destroy the tree. 

Source: LBM Daily, August 20, 2004 

On People's Minds Everywhere: Skyrocketing Prices For Lumber… Newspapers all over the United States and Canada are discussing the rising cost of wholesale lumber, up an astonishing 24 percent since June of last year, according to the government's producer price index. And the peak has yet to be reached, many in retail lumber industry predict.  

"An ordinary 8-foot-long, 2-inch-by-4-inch board, a common type of lumber used for building construction, costs $2.95 today, up from about $1.85 in January 2003," said Gary Bowman, vice president of materials management at the T.W. Perry Lumberyard in Chevy Chase, Md.  

Source: LBM Daily, August 23, 2004 

Emerald Ash Borer Burrows Its Way Through Michigan and Indiana… Michigan has already quarantined over 5000 square miles of trees infested with the Emerald Ash Borer and now it appears that Indiana has a similar problem on its hands.  

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has given the go ahead on a plan it hopes will help the state get the best of the pest: cut down living trees before the insect has the chance to kill it off, thus limiting the number of trees within the spread radius.  

Knowing that perfectly good trees will be cut down, the state is marking them, allowing landowners to sell them for lumber.  

Source: LBM Daily, August 25, 2004 

Economic Indicators Mixed… Rising interest rates are reducing demand for housing. US mortgage applications fell 6.3% this past week. In addition, a report from the Commerce Department showed a 6.4% decline in new home sales in July. The steep decline left home sales at their lowest level since December.  

Even reports for profitable quarters from several building industry businesses could not stave off the slipping stock prices on Wednesday.  

On the positive side, the reports for US durable goods are up for July, as businesses invest in new machinery and transportation. Machinery orders from the manufacturing sector were up by 2.1%. 

Source: LBM Daily, August 26, 2004 

Useful Web Sites for the ’04 Elections…  

www.congress.org - Non-partisan site with profiles of all candidates, online voter registration forms available. 

www.vote-smart.org - Non-partisan site with profiles of all candidates; online voter registration forms available. 

http://www.capwiz.com/c-span/e4/ - Non-partisan site with profiles and issue briefs of all candidates; online voter registration forms available. 

Source: Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association, Management Update, Summer 2004. 

MEMBER NEWS 

Rising from the Ashes… After losing its entire retail store and one of its seven warehouses in a fire on July 28, 2003, the Hannibal Homestore at 2401 Market St. has not only rebuilt, it has improved its methods of service and expanded both its merchandise and service hours. New store hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays.

A three-day grand opening began Thursday, August 12, with a "board-cutting" ceremony on Friday, attended by city officials and both state and national legislators, along with residents of at least seven area cities.

"I was really pleased with the turnout," said Jim Smith, Homestore's manager since 1999. "We had a lot of new customers.”

Source: Hannibal Courier-Post, Bev Darr, August 17, 2004 

In Memoriam … It is with sadness we report the death of Mary Frances Brown, mother of Art Brown, MLA Regional Manager. Mrs. Brown passed away on Thursday, August 26, from complications related to various respiratory ailments. The family has requested that any memorials be donated to Lung Association of Kansas, 4300 SW Drury Lane, Topeka KS 66604. Our condolences and heartfelt sympathy to Art and his family. 

REDUCING OSHA AND SAFETY LIABILITIES FOR INSTALLED SALES 

Many building material dealers are exploring additional areas of installed sales. Some are just thinking about starting their first project. What started out years ago as adding a storm door, cabinet, or light fixture has now developed into the installation of almost every product being sold. Some of the simpler handy man type of projects such as replacing a storm door or window might have limited liabilities, but even they can be surprising. When getting into roofing, full window replacement, siding, framing, insulation, and other services, you are really becoming a contractor.  

The term “Installed Sales” really doesn’t tell the entire story. Taking on these major projects is no different from starting your own construction company. Many of the experts on installed sales have discussed the pros and cons of forming a separate company or making it part of your existing business. You might want to go beyond consulting your lawyer and also talk with your insurance company, as well as someone who is well versed in safety, both general industry and construction. 

Regardless of what some say, subcontracting does NOT relieve a dealer from OSHA and other safety liabilities. Under the multi-employer worksite policies, OSHA may cite your company even if you don’t have an employee currently on the jobsite. In your yard all of the employees are relatively close by for you to supervise. Drivers are in and out all day, so you still see them sometimes. When installed-sales employees are added, they might only be in the yard for short periods of time or maybe not for days at a time. If you subcontract the work, the actual installing employees may never be in your yard. So how do you monitor your risks? When any of your installed sales projects involve work more than six feet off the surface, you may be getting into OSHA Fall Protection Regulations. Are you familiar with those regulations? Are there differences between fall protection on a ladder at 7’, a scaffold at 9-1/2’ or a roof at 13’? 

If you don’t know the answers to these questions, NLBMDA can help. Join us for our next teleconference: “Reducing OSHA and Safety Liabilities for Installed Sales” on September 30 2004. If you are currently offering Installed Sales or are contemplating adding them, you can’t afford to miss this presentation. Call 800-634-8645 or go to www.dealer.org for details. 

Source: NLBMDA, Risk Management Newsletter, August 2004. 

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY 

“Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”  – Vince Lombardi